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Month: February 2012

The 11th Chinese naval escort flotilla, consisting of destroyer “Qingdao”, frigate “Yantai” and comprehensive supply ship “Huishanhu”, departed from Qingdao on Feb 27 for their escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and help in the fight against Piracy in Somali waters to protect commercial ships from pirate attacks. This is now common practice to have Chinese naval ships patrol in African waters. The activity has grown steadily the past few years as we have covered it.

South Africa’s economy grew 3.2% in the fourth quarter compared with the preceding three-month period, with manufacturing providing a big boost, but the improvement still comes against the backdrop of government forecasts for slower 2012 growth.

The fourth quarter figure was slightly better than the 3.1% that economists had predicted and better than the disappointing growth in the third quarter, revised up to 1.7%. Overall growth for 2011 was 2.9% from the year before.

Despite the quarterly improvement, albeit from a low base in the preceding months, many economists continue to remain cautious on South Africa’s growth outlook. Gross domestic product could be constrained by problems in the euro zone and the general uncertain global financial market as well as South Africa’s own struggle to reduce its 23.9% unemployment rate.

The unemployment rate, combined with concerns about government overspending and an uncertain policy environment, led Moody’s Investors Service Inc. and Fitch Ratings to lower the country’s debt outlook to negative in the past six months.

The fourth quarter figure comes on the heels of the treasury’s 2012 budget preview last week, where Minister Pravin Gordhan revised down his growth target for 2012, predicting GDP to be 2.7%. The move follows a downward revision by the country’s reserve bank.

South Africa’s key manufacturing industry contributed 0.6 percentage point to the growth, the country’s statistics agency said as it released the data Tuesday. But Investec analyst Ilke van Zyl said manufacturing and mining still remain below their peaks reached in 2008 and 2007 respectively, in terms of value added at constant prices.

Protracted strikes across industries in 2011 dented manufacturing and mining output in the first months of the year and the risk remains for a repeat this year, analysts said.

“The many headwinds faced by the production side of the economy cannot be ignored: global demand is slowing, business confidence remains low, cost-push inflation remains rife and local industrial action is likely to emerge once again in 2012,” said Barclays analyst Gina Schoeman, referencing a continuing strike at Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd.’s Rustenburg operation.

The South African economy outweighs its three closest African rivals combined. The wellness of the South African economy is of vital importance to the region and continent. What happens to South Africa has reverberations across the continent.

French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet arrived in Tripoli on Friday on a three-day visit designed to boost cooperation with Libya, an AFP reporter said.

The trip comes shortly after the North African nation celebrated the first anniversary of the start of a popular revolt that toppled the regime of Moamer Kadhafi.

Longuet is expected to meet senior officials including Mustafa Abdel Jalil, chairman of the ruling National Transitional Council, and Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib, on how to boost ties between the two countries.

Longuet is also scheduled to visit the war-ravaged coastal city of Misrata and Benghazi in the east, where the uprising started.

Libya and France agreed to increase cooperation in maritime security and controlling the North African country’s borders. Being strategically placed joining Africa and the Mediterranean makes it exposed. Neighboring states, especially those across the Mediterranean in Europe are worried about Libya’s capacity to secure its Mediterranean coast, which can be used as a gateway into Europe for arms traffickers, al-Qaeda insurgents and illegal migrants.